Wintrust Financial Corporation $WTFC Stock: Leeward Investments LLC MA Cuts Position

Leeward Investments LLC MA cut its holdings in Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC) by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 156,735 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 9,442 shares during the period. Wintrust Financial comprises about 1.1% of Leeward Investments LLC MA’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Leeward Investments LLC MA’s holdings in Wintrust Financial were worth $22,228,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Wintrust Financial during the second quarter worth $27,000. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Wintrust Financial in the third quarter worth $29,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC bought a new position in Wintrust Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in Wintrust Financial in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Wintrust Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $42,000. 93.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wintrust Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WTFC opened at $150.77 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $152.50. Wintrust Financial Corporation has a 1-year low of $122.00 and a 1-year high of $167.21. The firm has a market cap of $10.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.89.

Wintrust Financial (NASDAQ:WTFC) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 19th. The bank reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.06. Wintrust Financial had a return on equity of 13.31% and a net margin of 21.03%. The firm had revenue of $757.88 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $754.54 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.06 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Wintrust Financial Corporation will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Wintrust Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 5th will be given a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 5th. Wintrust Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WTFC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays decreased their target price on Wintrust Financial from $192.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. DA Davidson set a $180.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Wintrust Financial in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup lowered shares of Wintrust Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Wintrust Financial in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.00.

Insider Activity at Wintrust Financial

In other news, COO David Dykstra sold 13,515 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.77, for a total value of $2,199,836.55. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 166,449 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,092,903.73. This represents a 7.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Richard Murphy sold 7,136 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.66, for a total value of $1,060,837.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 30,107 shares in the company, valued at $4,475,706.62. This represents a 19.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Wintrust Financial

Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: WTFC) is a financial holding company headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois. Through its network of community banking subsidiaries, the company provides banking and financial services to individuals, families, businesses and institutions.

Its offerings include checking and savings accounts, commercial and consumer lending, residential mortgages, treasury management, cash management and other deposit services. Wintrust also provides wealth management, investment services, insurance-related products and specialized finance solutions, including equipment finance and premium finance.

Founded in 1991, Wintrust has built its business through a community banking model that combines local decision-making and relationship-based service with the resources of a larger financial organization.